


If You Could Read My Mind

by evilgrrl



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bridal Shower, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fortune Telling, Mention of previous abuse, Palm Reading, Psychology, Sex, ben has a secret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:54:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23536363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilgrrl/pseuds/evilgrrl
Summary: This fic was originally written for the charity anthology, "Babies at the Border."Much thanks to my beta, Tori Renae Quintanar.Rey doesn't believe in psychic abilities until she meets a hot fortune teller at Rose's bachelorette party. How is she going to feel when he tells her the truth about her parents?This has 3 chapters.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 46
Kudos: 115
Collections: Reylo Hidden Gems





	1. The Party

**Author's Note:**

> KYLO

Kylo wasn't looking forward to the bachelorette party he had booked for that evening. If he had his druthers, he would take one-on-one sessions exclusively. It was difficult to concentrate well enough for a good reading in a group setting, but he couldn’t turn down the money that parties and events brought in. He told himself that as long as people weren't getting drunk or stoned, it would probably be manageable.  
  
The party organizer, Paige, had assured him that the party wouldn't be stressful for him.  
  
“There will just be four of us,” she had told him over the phone. “My sister, Rose is getting married, and she only wanted her closest friends at the party.”  
  
“Great. How many hours did you want?” he asked, noting down both names and putting a little star by the bride's.  
  
“I want each of us to have half an hour, so two and a half hours would cover it then, right?” She sounded pretty enthusiastic.  
  
“Two hours would be fine,” he advised her. “You're paying a travel stipend as well, don't forget.”  
  
“No, no, I want us to have plenty of time. That should give us a comfortable margin. Thanks for the offer, though. That's very kind of you.”  
  
“You’re welcome.”   
  
It was nice when clients didn't try to nickel and dime you. He’d gotten that a lot back when he'd done psychic hotline calls from home to make ends meet. Those had been tough times.   
  
“I look forward to seeing you then. Give me a call if anything changes.”  
  
Kylo hoped that she wasn't going to be so exuberant at the party. It might make him uncomfortable. He reminded himself that he was an adult now and didn’t get teased at parties anymore. Especially not at $250 an hour.  
  
That phone call had been last month and he'd gotten the details via an email the same day. Now he was on his way to the party, which was at one of the nicer venues in town. He'd been there before, so he didn't need to bother the desk staff as he made his way to the elevator bank and pressed the UP arrow.  
  
Kylo told himself that everything was going smoothly as he tried to tamp down his anxiety. Why couldn't he foretell his own future as well as other people's?  
  
He didn't bother to run over his notes as he went up to the 7th floor. He had memorized the information he needed for tonight.  
Kylo heard a ding and the doors parted. He found his way to the correct room and knocked on the door.  
He prepared to smile and be friendly. Show time.

  


REY

Rey arrived a little late at Rose's bachelorette party, since she hadn't been able to get off work early. 

Paige answered the door and gave her a big hug. “Hi, sweetie! How are you?”

“Okay," Rey said as she took her seven-layer dip out of her bag and put it on the counter in the mini-kitchen next to Tallie’s big bag of chips.

Rey put away her purse and gave Paige a hug. Paige tried to hand her a glass of wine. 

“Oh, no, none for me, thanks!” Rey tried to refuse. 

“Take it,” Paige insisted. “Live a little. You won't be driving anyway since we're staying here tonight.”

“True,” Rey conceded after a moment of thought, accepting the glass. Everything she needed to be a bridesmaid was already at the hotel. 

The bride-to-be was the next to hug her. When Rose asked how she was, Rey answered more honestly than she had with Paige. “Kind of frazzled. It's been a long week. I'm looking forward to having some fun.” 

“And now you'll have a long weekend full of it,” Rose promised her. “You do have Monday off, right?”

“Yes,” Rey acknowledged, glad that she had been able to take a vacation day. She moved toward the counter in the mini-kitchen to try the snacks. 

“Don't eat too much,” Paige warned her. “We were waiting for you to get here before we ordered dinner.”

“I didn’t know we were having dinner,” Rey said, surprised. 

“This may not be Vegas,” Rose chimed in, “but we're still going to do it up right.”

“Thanks to Paige,” Rey said, raising her glass in a mock toast. 

“Somebody's gotta do it," Paige added, grinning.

Rey thought back to how this little band of friends had formed. Rey and Finn had known each other from a foster home and had kept in touch for years. Finn met Rose at college, and she pursued him relentlessly until he finally figured it out and they started dating. Rey and Rose got along almost as well as Ray and Finn. Together with Rose’s sister Paige, they had been a friendly foursome until Paige met her husband, Poe. Now she got together with the three of them less often, and Poe was even less inclined to spend time with them. 

Rey was worried that she was going to end up alone again, now that Finn and Rose were getting married. It would be easy for them to do “couples things” with Paige and Dameron and leave Rey out. 

Tallie, Rose’s friend from work, was not an adequate substitute. She seemed okay, but she and Rey never seemed to hit it off. In any case, Rey was determined not to disappoint her friend this weekend, so she put it out of her mind. 

“This is a great place,” Tallie enthused. “Wonderful for a wedding.”

“I got a great deal on it,” Paige confided. “I reserved early.”

“When is the psychic getting here?” Rose asked eagerly. 

Paige looked at her watch. “Not for another couple of hours. I brought some old movies to watch over dinner. ‘Bridesmaids,’ ‘The Wedding Singer,’ ‘My Best Friend's Wedding,’ ‘Runaway Bride,’ ‘Practical Magic’...”

“Practical Magic,” Tallie interrupted, seizing on it. 

“Sounds like a wedding movie smörgåsbord.”

“Why all the romances?” Rey questioned. 

“That's what you watch at a bachelorette party!” Paige explained. 

When the food arrived, they watched ‘Practical Magic’ while they ate, per Tallie's request. 

“I wouldn't mind having magical aunties," Rose said wistfully, as she watched them dance around the kitchen on the TV screen.

“Me neither,” Paige agreed. 

"Same!" Rey volunteered. She would have settled for any kind of family at all, and the two aunts did seem especially cool. 

“I wouldn't mind having a guy who looked like that,” Tallie said when Sandra Bullock’s character married her second husband. 

Rey didn't say anything. It was too painful to wish for a soulmate like Sandra Bullock got in the movie. Rey hadn't had the best of luck with men, although none of them had been abusive. She just felt like she didn't fit in anywhere. 

“Well, my future husband is better looking,” Rose teased. 

“Maybe the psychic will tell us who we're going to marry,” Tallie suggested. 

"Whose idea was it to have a psychic?" Rey wanted to know. "I would have taken a stripper. Or we could have gone zip-lining or something." 

“Zip lining?” Rose was faux outraged. “Where's the romance in zip lining, you heathen? I asked for the psychic. I've always wanted to have my fortune told.”

“I don't believe in psychics,” Rey declared.

“Just enjoy it,” Paige told her, so Rey relaxed and went along with it. Paige and Rose were like the sisters she'd never had. 

When a knock on the door announced that the psychic had arrived, Rey wished he had been hired as a stripper. He was tall, well built and well dressed, with beautiful dark eyes, a great smile and soft-looking raven hair Rey wanted to run her fingers through. He seemed a little self-conscious too, which was kind of appealing. 

Paige escorted him in and said, “Ladies, I give you Kylo Ren.” 

He moved around the room gracefully, shaking hands with everyone.

Rey wondered what kind of a name Kylo Ren was. It sounded foreign, but he didn't look or sound foreign. 

She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt, so she was more than happy to stand up and shake hands with him. When they touched, she felt a little frisson of … something, but she dismissed it. She hadn't had sex in a long time, so she had probably just imagined it. Or maybe it was a spark of static electricity from the carpet. 

“Would you like some wine?” Paige offered.

“No, thanks. I'm driving. Water or a soft drink is fine.”

Paige took a sparkling water out of the mini-fridge and handed it to him. 

"I do this better sober anyway,” he added, creating a little ripple of laughter around the room.

He sat down and people made small talk for a few minutes discussing the upcoming wedding and asking how Kylo’s drive had been. Rey noticed that his face was very expressive, with pretty eyes, full lips, mobile eyebrows and a prominent nose. He talked with his hands a lot.   
  
Suddenly Rose could no longer restrain herself. 

“Can we start soon? I'm dying to find out my future!” 

Everyone laughed. 

“I see a tall, dark and handsome man in your future, Rose,” Paige teased. 

“I see a tall, dark and handsome man now!” Tallie kidded. “I’m looking right at him!”

“Where?" Kylo joked, doing a comic double-take around the room and prompting more amusement. Rey felt a small twinge of jealousy, wishing that she had him all to herself. 

“Very funny,” Rose said teasingly. “We all know I already have one.”

“We can start now if you'd like,” Kylo offered agreeably. “How did you want to do this? Will the readings be private or is everyone going to listen in?”

They giggled nervously until Rose took the lead again. 

“Listen in! I want everyone to listen in! At least to mine.” 

“Okay, Rose,” Kylo agreed, smiling. “Where did you want to sit?”

Rey was happy to see Rose having fun. She deserved it. She’d been through a lot and was a good friend to Rey.

“Let's stay here in the living room. Do you and I need to sit together?”

“That would probably be best,” Kylo agreed, gesturing toward the couch where Tallie was sitting. She got up immediately and reseated herself across from the coffee table instead. 

Rose was her usual touchy-feely self, and she wrapped her hand around Kylo's bicep eagerly as they made their way to the couch.

He seemed comfortable with her attention, but was conscientious anyway, asking her, “May I...touch you? Is that okay?” before putting his hand lightly on the small of her back.

“Oh, sure!” she agreed happily as they sat down.

Kylo ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, moving it away from his face. “Good. That can help establish the connection.”

Rey wondered if Kylo felt the same little jolt she had when they shook hands, and whether or not he felt it with the others. Maybe that happened to psychics all the time. 

“I don't mind having other people around, but I do need to concentrate, so it would be best if everyone else could be quiet,” Kylo announced to the room.

They all agreed, and Rey even crossed her hands over her mouth like the “Speak No Evil” monkey. 

He grinned at her, then became more serious as he turned back to look at Rose. 

“So, tell me about your areas of concern, Rose. What do you want to know about?”

Rose's cute little nose scrunched up for a minute as she pulled her thoughts together. “My marriage. I want to know how it's going to work out. And kids. Should we have kids?” she asked, laughing nervously. “I only have a million questions.” 

He talked to her soothingly. “Those are good questions, but maybe we can talk about them differently. The future isn't 'set,' like events that are destined to happen in a certain order or something. Your life can go a lot of different ways and it depends on you. Your attitude and the way you look at things has a big influence on what direction it takes.”

Rose was practically vibrating in her seat with anticipation.

“You seem pretty excited, which is normal, but it will help me if you center yourself. Could you close your eyes and take some deep slow breaths?”

Rose closed her eyes gently and started to breathe more deeply and fully. Rey was surprised to see the suggestion work as Rose started to calm down. 

“Slowly. Count to four on the inhale, and six on the exhale. Try to relax as much as you can.”

Kylo seemed to be in his element, which was just one more sexy thing about him. Rey wondered if he got laid a lot. As a good looking entertainer, she guessed that he probably did. That would be one point against him.

"Keep your eyes closed but set an intention that I will be able to provide the information that you need." 

Rose nodded slightly, eyes still shut. 

“If you start to feel distressed or overwhelmed at any point, let me know, and we will take the time for you to recenter yourself. It's very important to be as serene as you can. Are you feeling calmer?”

She nodded. 

“Good. Why don't you open your eyes?”

She did as he had suggested and looked at him like he held the keys to the universe.

"It seems like you want to know about how your relationships with your family are going to go. You want to know if you will have a good rapport and be happy. You're worried about how your future family will look and how to do what’s best for them, is that right?” he paraphrased, gesturing with his hands. 

She nodded, as comfortable as if she were talking to an old friend. 

“The best way to inquire into those issues is probably a tarot reading or reading your palm. Which do you have a better feeling about?” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and took out a small silk drawstring bag, which looked like it had a deck of cards inside. 

“What's the difference?” Rose asked. Her voice was quieter, and she had calmed herself. She was no longer vibrating.

“They're just different tools. Things like tarot cards and palm reading and numerology are just the means I use to get a look at the possible paths of your future. One tool isn't better than another. They are just different ways for you and me to connect. 

“At each major turning point in your life,” he went on, “there's a nexus of various pathways you could go down. Each pathway branches out depending on the decisions you make at the time. Nothing is set in stone. We all have the power to change what we are doing at any time. Where you are right now may be very different than where you'll be next year or even next month.”

Rey realized that with a voice like that, she might be willing to consider a one night stand with him too, if she were a different person. She had to admit he was doing a good job with Rose. She was also glad he wasn't being too mystical and woo-woo about it. That would have been an immediate turnoff.

“You seem like you're comfortable with touch, Rose, so I'm going to suggest that I read your palm. Does that sound good?”

“Yes,” she agreed, nodding and holding out her right hand. 

Kylo didn't take it. “That's your dominant hand, right? Then it represents your past. Your left hand is about your future, decisions you have yet to make. I think that's the hand we want to start with.”

He reached out with his open hand and she put her left hand in it, his palm engulfing hers. 

“This hand is about the future. These are possibilities, not sure things. You need to decide if this is the way you want things to go or not.”

He looked down at her hand and examined it attentively.

“This top line,” he said as he put his index finger on it, “is your heartline. Yours starts right under your index finger, so right now, indications are that you will be content with the love in your life. I'm guessing that you and... Finley is it?”

“Finn," she corrected. She didn't seem to have even noticed he had come up with her fiancé's name without asking. Rey wondered how he'd known that. It had to be a trick. 

“You and Finn have a good chance to be happy together. Your differences may seem big, but you'll make it work anyway.”

“Differences?” she asked. 

“Yes.” He hesitated for just a second. “Is it that you have different religions? Or is he of a different race?”

Putty in his hands, Rey thought to herself. Rey knew Rose was a true believer, but now it just seemed gullible. 

“He's African American,” she confided. “I worry about that a little.”

“I wouldn't if I were you. I think you will both be able to handle whatever comes. If you focus on keeping the good parts of the relationship you have now, I believe it will work. Don't start taking each other for granted. When he wants to tell you a joke he heard at work, or show you a cute cat video, give him your attention, because that's what he's really asking for. He obviously wants to share something, but he also needs your affection and validation, the intimacy. He's confident, but every man wants the love of his life to praise him sincerely and see his good qualities. You have the potential to be a very happy family." 

Rose's smile radiated happiness. If Kylo could make her feel that way, maybe it was worth it, Rey thought. She wondered how he had known Finn's name though.

Suddenly Rose frowned. “Sometimes that's hard to believe when you haven't been happy in the past.”

“Give me your other hand. That one shows the past.”

She put out her right hand and Kylo took it, easing her left hand down to her lap.

“See these little lines crossing the heart line? That indicates trauma,” he murmured. 

Rey wondered who didn't have trauma? That had to be a good guess most of the time.

“I didn't have a happy childhood,” Rose admitted. 

This was a tricky subject for Rose. Rey hoped he would handle it with care. She’d jump all over him if he didn’t.

He stared at her palm for a minute. “Maybe it wasn't happy, but your parents didn't abuse you.” 

Rose shook her head. “We were poor. My parents weren't legal when they first got here. It took my dad a long time to get a green card. My mom worked really long hours in a sweatshop. It was hard.” 

“And I wouldn't want to minimize that,” Kylo agreed. “But there aren't too many lines crossing. Your life wasn't as bad as it could have been.”

Another universal truth, Rey thought a little cynically.

“This line below your heart line, that's your headline. You see how it's separated from your love line? That means you're open to adventure and enthusiastic about life. You haven't been damaged by your trauma. You're resilient. You learned how to persevere. You developed strength of character. That's one reason you've been so successful so far. You have integrity. Now let's go back to your left hand." 

He gently grasped her other hand again. She didn't pull the right hand away, leaving it out with the palm open as well so he could see both of them. 

“Now your heart line is long and wavy, which indicates that you feel free to express your feelings and emotions. I could have guessed that from the way you act, but it's good to get confirmation of it.” He smiled genuinely, which was so attractive that it delivered a little rush of pleasure to Rey's stomach. 

Rose returned his smile.

“And it doesn't have other lines crossing it like your right hand did. So you won't have a lot of trauma in your future." 

That was wishful thinking, in Rey's opinion. She wondered what it was like to lie for a living. What would it be like to have a boyfriend who lied for a living? Or a husband?

“This line is also long and deep, which says you have a lot of energy and vitality, which also seems obvious from your general demeanor. And it swoops around in a circle, showing your strength and enthusiasm. Then this last one is your fate line. It starts right at the base of your thumb and crosses your lifeline. That means you will probably have the support of your family and friends. It looks like you have a pretty happy family life ahead of you. But I have to ask you about your emotions. What feelings do you think are behind your questions?" 

Rose sighed and blew air out of the sides of her mouth, ruffling her shiny dark hair. 

“I don’t know. I guess I was so unhappy as a child that now I'm worried that's what's in store for me and my family in the future.”

“That's only natural, since you were unhappy in the past,” Kylo told her. “But I think the way you focus on the positive aspects of life helps guide you toward a good one. It may not turn out the way you think it will now, but it will still be good. Keep an open mind and focus on what makes you happy.”

Rey liked seeing the big smile on Rose's face. If he could make her feel positive and optimistic, then it was a good thing overall. 

Tallie wanted to go next. Rey wasn't eager for her turn, so that was okay with her.

Rey wasn't as close with Tallie as she was with Rose, so she didn't pay a lot of attention to her session. She was too busy watching Kylo anyway.

Kylo used his tarot cards and a pendulum with Paige. By the time he finished with her, Tallie had drifted into the kitchen and Rose was opening the champagne.

That only left Rey. She said to herself that if nothing else, she'd get to spend some time with a handsome guy. She didn't mind that no one else was listening. She preferred to do things like this privately in any case. 

“You’re up next,” Kylo said as he turned to her. 

Rey felt her heart beat a little faster. She stood up and approached him, extending her hand so he could steady her as she sat down. When Kylo’s skin touched hers, she felt some kind of unusual connection again, a shivery thrill, the way she had before, but she dismissed it as fantasy on her part. 

She decided to make the most of the opportunity and continued holding Kylo's hand even after she was seated. His gaze was intense, but he probably looked at all his female clients that way. It was probably part of his appeal.

“Did you want to call your friends back to listen in?” he asked generously.

“No,” Rey declined. “That’s okay.”

“It’s more intimate like this anyway,” Kylo agreed. “So, what's on your mind tonight?” 

He subtly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. It felt good so she didn't pull away. 

Suddenly, though, she felt a little awkward and looked away from him.

“It's okay,” he encouraged her quietly. “I won't judge, and your friends aren't even listening.”

She glanced around to make sure it was true, then looked back up at him. It was odd how appealing she found him, especially since his job as a psychic turned her off. He wasn't Liam Hemsworth or anything, but there was something about him.

“Well, it's personal,” she started hesitantly, then cleared her throat. “So, did you want to read my palm like you did with Rose?”

“Tell me what you want to know about first.”

She sighed and turned away, unable to look into his eyes when she felt so vulnerable. Maybe she should just make up something.

Instead, she took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “My parents abandoned me when I was three or four. I went into the foster care system. It wasn't terrible, but all these years I've wondered what happened to my mom and dad. Why did they leave me? Where are they now? What do they look like? Should I search for them?”

A minute of uncomfortable silence followed. Rey hated the way she felt completely naked in front of him.

“Well, since I already have your hand right here,” he said reassuringly, eyes flicking down to see it, “why don't we start with that?”

She smiled and said, “Okay. Go ahead.”

He turned her hand over gently so he could see her palm. Suddenly she felt as if he had opened some channel between them, although she knew that was impossible. Still, she felt something from him, but she didn't know what. Energy? Spirit? It could just be her own lust.

Kylo examined her dominant right hand, which she remembered was supposed to represent her past. 

“I can see a lot of pain here on your heart line, a lot of trauma. In your headline too.” He paused for a moment, and said almost as an aside, “You know, your pain is still real even if it isn't physical.” 

“I don't know what that means,” she protested. “What about my family?” She wished she didn't sound so desperate.

He sighed reluctantly. 

“I don't have to tell you about your parents,” he began, trying to soften it. “Are you sure you don't want to ask me something else?”

Rey didn't understand why he would try to get her to second guess herself. 

“Why would I want to know something else? That's been the biggest issue of my life.”

His face was so sad. Was that what she looked like right now? 

“Are you sure?” he asked again, almost as if he were pleading with her. 

“Yes,” she answered decisively. “I'm sure.”

“Okay. I want you to center yourself and breathe deeply. I need you to stay calm. Can you do that?" 

She closed her eyes for a moment and consciously relaxed her body, breathing the way he had told her to. She could stay calm if she needed to.

“Tell me,” she said, opening her eyes.

He hesitated long enough to catch his breath. 

“Okay, you're right. They did love you,” he confirmed. 

How could he know she believed that? She didn't tell anyone.

“Look at how your fate line begins here near the bottom of your thumb. Then it crosses your lifeline, there? That shows me that you started out with support from your family. I assume that means your biological parents, not your foster family.”

She shook her head sadly. 

“No. Eventually, some of my families were good, but not at first.”

“I think you already know that your parents were trying to do what they thought was best for you,” he declared. “They wanted you to have a good life.”

There was no need to answer him. Hearing him say that felt as intimate as if he were inside her head. His hand was warm and strong around hers. He made her feel safe, if just for a moment.

He coughed slightly. “My intuition tells me that your mother did her best to be healthy during the pregnancy, for you. But afterward... it was just too hard. She couldn't stay clean.”

What he said made perfect sense. Her eyes welled up with tears. She felt like her head was underwater. 

“I don't know what her demons were, but I have a hunch she quieted them with things that wouldn't have allowed her to be the kind of mom she wanted to be: alcohol, or drugs, or some other self-destructive behavior.”

Now she felt like she was drowning in his eyes. They were dark and steady on hers. 

“Go on.” Her voice felt thick in her throat. 

“I can't see your father as well,” he said as he examined her hand. Rey didn't know how he would be able to see her father in her palm either. Surely he was deceiving her.

"That would be normal since the mother is usually more influential in a child's formative years," he explained. 

Then he looked up in surprise. 

“You didn't tell me that you remembered them.” It sounded almost like an accusation.

Rey herself was startled. How could he know that?

“I- I wasn't sure it was a real memory.”

“It is,” he assured her. 

His hand tightened on hers very gently, as if to strengthen the bond between them. 

“I understand. You wanted someone to tell you the truth though. You wanted to know for sure, but there's no way to know that. You’ve tried to let go of this, but you haven't been able to before.”

The tears were rolling down her cheeks now. “I didn't have much else to hold onto for so long. My foster care was so haphazard, and there weren't any records...”

“You were right to hang onto that.” His voice was low and intense. “You needed it. You needed to know that you had value. It's hard to feel that way if you don't sense your parents' approval. So you created it for yourself.” 

She nodded, unable to speak for a minute, and used her other hand to wipe away the tears. 

“That feeling was based in reality. Your parents did love you. They did want you. But they hoped that you would have a better childhood than they'd had. They wanted you to be happy and healthy. When Child Services took you away, they thought it was for the best. You already know that.”

She continued nodding and crying, reaching for a tissue from the box on the coffee table. She felt that he was right, that she did know that. 

“It would have been worse if you had stayed with them. Even though you had it rough in foster care, it would have been worse if you had been with them. They made the right decision.” 

She decided to take that on faith, and to accept that maybe he did know something she didn't, so she asked another question. 

“Are they still alive? Could I find them? Should I look?”

“Why would you want to, Rey? You already know what you need to know.”

“So I shouldn't look for them then?” She couldn't keep that last bit of hope out of her voice. 

He spoke to her reluctantly, as if he didn't want to continue. “What do you think? Rey, if they were still alive, they might have been able to clean their lives up by now. If so, I think they would have looked for you, and you wouldn't be that hard to find. You've already gotten whatever information was available from the foster system, haven't you?”

She nodded. “It wasn't much. And there wasn't anything in the birth registry either. I don't have a birth certificate or adoption records since I wasn't adopted. I don't have medical records or know what my heritage is or anything." 

Her voice hitched as she gave voice to things that had always made her feel so inadequate. Tears threatened again. She was completely at sea with no land in sight. 

Feeling desolate, she leaned toward him, into his body, and he put his arms around her shoulders tenderly. 

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered to her, as she laid her head into the curve of his neck. “I know you feel like no one loves you, but that's not true.”

“How would you know?” she managed to blurt out. 

He only rocked her gently. “You know your friends love you. You're close with Rose's fiancé, aren't you? And you have other friends. Moz? Moss?”

“Maz,” she supplied. “Yes, she's been very good to me.”

“She loves you,” Kylo soothed her. “Almost as if you were her own family. And your boss likes you very much. She thinks a lot of you. She respects you.”

“You mean Amilyn?” 

It took him a moment to understand. “I'm not sure. Holden?”

“I know who you mean,” she said sniffling, getting herself back under control. 

He was no longer rocking her, but she continued to lean against his chest. He had made her feel protected before, and she wanted to feel that way again. He didn't move away.

“Growing up like that would have damaged a lot of people, but not you. You've accomplished a lot, haven't you? You're generally pretty happy. But two of your friends getting married to each other makes you worry that you won't be as close anymore. You're afraid you won't see them anymore." 

She pulled away from him a little so she could look at his face. “They already have less time for me. What will happen when she gets pregnant and has a baby and I don't?”

Her deeper fear, that she would never find the right person and get married, never have a family, went unsaid.

“It's okay. You'll be alright,” he told her. He pulled his arms back from around her shoulders and picked up her left hand. “Let's look at the future.”

“All right,” she agreed, getting another tissue out of the box she had pulled next to her. 

“It's understandable that you would be nervous about the future. But Finn thinks about you like a sister. He's not going to let you go very easily. And you and Rose get along really well too. What I think you really want to know is less what's going to happen and more if you're going to be happy.”

“Isn't that what everyone wants?” she asked, annoyed at how plaintive she sounded. She hated feeling so weak and small. 

“Yes, naturally. Some people think something like money and power will make them happy, but it doesn't. Happiness depends less on our circumstances and more on our outlook and how we interpret things. You're feeling insecure because things are changing, but they can change for the better too. If your goal is to be happy and fulfilled, that's what you should work towards, regardless of what you think makes people happy.”

That made a certain amount of sense. She felt calmer. 

He squeezed her hand. “Shall we continue?”

She grinned weakly, dropped the tissue beside her, and gave her hand back to him. 

“Do you have a therapist?”

“You're the psychic. Don't you know already?”

He shook his head, returning her smile. 

She sighed and told him. “I used to, but they're so expensive. Even with my health insurance.” 

"I think you could use one. Maybe you could find someone like a priest or a teacher to talk to. I could help you.”

That was a sudden red flag. She'd thought they had established a rapport. Trying to scam her into becoming one of his clients when she was already down was a low blow.

“And you would be willing to be my “teacher,” to help me, for less than the amount I'd pay otherwise?” She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. 

“No. But you're right. A lot of people would try to take advantage of you. You should be careful." He shook his head. “But no. I get $250 an hour. And I'm not a therapist. I have a good sense about what makes people tick, but you need someone who can help you work out your past traumas. Most people who have experienced trauma created coping skills that helped at the time, but later became a negative factor once they were out of that situation. I certainly have done that. Find someone who can help you let go of those things that don't serve you anymore and learn new skills that do. It just needs to be someone you can trust who has some experience in helping people heal.”

What he said pleasantly surprised her. Maybe he was the kind of person he appeared to be. "So you aren't trying to sign me up as a new client?”

“No. That actually wouldn't be ethical. I was just suggesting I could help point you in the right direction of some community resources that could possibly be of assistance.” 

He took a breath and his demeanor changed a little. 

“So, now the reading is over. I hope it helped.”

“It did, I think.”

“Okay, so what I'd like now,” he said as he searched her face, “is the opportunity to get to know you better. I find you interesting and smart, and you’re beautiful. I promise I'm not a creep. I never ask out women I've done a reading for. Well, really, I hardly ask women out at all.” He grinned self-consciously. “But I think it's worth potentially making an idiot out of myself to ask you.”

Rey remembered thinking earlier how attractive he was. He didn't seem to be asking for a one night stand either. His tone was earnest. He was definitely asking for something more, which was different, more real. She needed some time to think about it. 

“You don't have to decide right now.” 

That took a little of the pressure off. 

Letting go of her hand, he took a business card and a pen from his inside jacket pocket and wrote something on it before giving her the card. 

“That's my personal cell number. You can call me anytime. Would you be willing to give me yours?”

She got flustered. “I- not right now. I need to think about it. I guess you could always get it from Rose anyway.”

“I wouldn't do that,” he said sincerely. “This is up to you. Even if you don't want to date, I'd still like to talk to you. Maybe we could go to dinner or a car show or something. Just as friends.”

This guy was hard to get a handle on. Just when she thought she figured him out, he surprised her. “How did you know I liked car shows?”

He shrugged. “I can't read your mind. I just have good instincts sometimes.”

“Well, I'll keep that in mind. Where I can read it myself,” she said, making a feeble attempt at humor. 

He smiled in acknowledgment. 

“Thank you. I'm glad my weak joke amused you.”

Rey thought she had had enough for tonight. She was really tired and emotionally drained. And the party wasn't over. 

She stood up and shook his hand as a thank you, skin tingling minutely when they touched, then crossed the room to put his card into her purse. She read it first, noting the card said “Kylo Ren, Psychic Advisor” on the front, but what he had written on the back was “Ben Solo” and a phone number. 

She turned around, gesturing with the card. “Thanks. Ben.”

He looked pleased. 

Then he thanked everyone for having him at their party, wished the bride well and departed. 

Rey went to join her friends with the champagne. Rose was doing some dance move to the song playing on her phone, “Put a Ring on It,” fittingly enough. 

“Beyonce you're not,” Tallie told her. 

“But I got a ring on it anyway,” Rose teased her, extending her left hand to display the ring Finn had given her. 

Rey had a hard time joining in on the fun. She felt distinctly unsettled after receiving her reading from Kylo, even more so after he'd asked her to call him. She'd finally faced one of the memories she'd kept the most deeply buried, and, while it made her feel much lighter, it also made her feel like her world was upside down. She had no urge to ask Kylo more about her parents, but she had felt a pull toward him, with his soft-spoken deep voice and intense dark eyes. 

She decided to crowdsource and asked the others what they thought of him. 

Rose was immediately enthusiastic. “I loved him. Do you want to see his website?”

Rey hesitated for just a moment before agreeing. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

She and Paige stood on either side of Rose as she pulled it up on her phone. 

Paige, who did not share Rose's enthusiasm for New Age spirituality, shared her thoughts on him before the site had even loaded. 

“I liked the way he talked about growth and advice for living, rather than, you know, hidden destiny or whatever.”

Kylo's website was professional-looking with a few nice pictures of him, and some good stock photos of people writing in journals or meditating. Rey didn't see anything about his rates until she got further into the site. The text seemed to focus on healing trauma and having realistic expectations about what Kylo could do for his clients. 

“I liked this other psychic's ad better, but Paige didn't,” Rose explained as she switched to another tab to show Rey someone else's page, replete with crystals and the moon and pyramids with all-seeing eyes. Pop up windows displayed the psychic’s prices and told the viewer to call now. "She reads auras too, and does divination, but Kylo was good, so I'm glad we went with him." 

Paige drifted away, having lost interest in Rose's discussion about more traditional psychics.

Rose had really enjoyed her reading, however, and was happy to keep discussing him. She flipped back to his website and scrolled down. 

“See, he's got good reviews on both Google and Yelp,” she said as she showed the links to Rey. “What did you think? Did you like him? Isn't he hot?”

“I did,” Rey admitted, without wanting to reveal he'd asked her out. “I would be leery of inviting someone I didn't know like that to my home or whatever though.”

“He's very professional,” Rose gushed. She clicked the link on Kylo's website to go to his profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook. "I even sort of cyberstalked him on his personal Facebook page, but don't tell anybody. You can find out a lot of stuff if the profile is set to public." 

“Can I see?” Rey asked, and Rose handed her the phone.

Rey wasn't very familiar with Facebook since she didn't have an account, but she knew enough to go to Kylo's "about" section. He listed his profession (“personal coach”), the city where he lived and his relationship status was “single.”

His feed had a few messages from friends—mostly personal updates, cartoons or funny videos. Kylo himself didn't post much, just a few pictures of himself, book reviews and news stories. 

“You could see for yourself if you would get a Facebook account,” Rose teased her. 

Rey thought about that night's reading as she tried to go to sleep.

How strange to realize she'd known the truth about her parents all along but hadn't had the strength to face it before. But, as Kylo had said, she needed the comfort of her belief in her parents' love to help her through the hard times growing up, when it seemed like she didn't have anyone. Her conviction that her parents loved her had made her believe that she was lovable, even when all evidence seemed to point to the contrary. It helped her love herself. 

On the other hand, now that she was an adult with adult autonomy and a good support system, maybe it was time to let go of that obsession. She had been right that her parents loved her, and that was all she needed to know. 

That still left the question about Kylo...or Ben, rather.

Perhaps she was being hypocritical. She had found him very attractive, and if she'd met him at a party or through a mutual friend, she would have accepted a date right away. 

Dating a psychic would be a stretch for her though. Any fake powers he used were lies and she hated people who lied all the time. And if he had any real powers that would be spooky and could give him an unfair advantage over her. Rey had never thought psychics were real before, but as accurate as Kylo had been, she might have to reconsider now. 

Despite all of the doubting questions of her logical mind, when Rey went to sleep, it was Ben's dark eyes and soft, gentle touch that she pictured. 


	2. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben works up his nerve to ask Rey out. She wants to know how he knew about her parents.

BEN

Ben had been a little disappointed that Rey hadn't given him her phone number, but at least she’d taken his card. It wasn't outright rejection.

He tried to think about other things the next couple of days, but she popped into his mind a number times: her voice, her big smile, the warmth of her soft body when he'd held her. It made him feel restless. He had already decided he would respect whatever decision she made and not try to find her if she didn't call him, but waiting to see was agonizing. 

He would have liked to think he was attracted to Rey because of her personality, not her good looks...but it felt like that fabled “love at first sight” instead, based on projection and fantasy instead of reality. As a psychic, he couldn’t help but be aware of her energy when they met, especially when such a strong link had established itself between them right away. That kind of thing could cloud your judgement. Rule Number One was “Don’t get involved with a client,” but remembering that didn’t seem to be helping. 

Fortunately, Rey called Tuesday evening. His cell rang, but he didn't recognize the number on the screen. It was a local number, so he crossed his fingers, hoping it was her and not a telemarketer as he answered. 

“Hello?”

“Uh, hi, Kylo.” 

He recognized Rey’s voice. She sounded a little awkward, which made him feel better about his own shyness. Plus, it was really cute. “I mean Ben.”

“Hi, Rey. Yeah, Kylo is my professional name. Please call me Ben.”

She skipped the small talk and went right to the reason she called, a technique Ben used himself sometimes when he felt anxious.

“Okay. Listen, I was thinking maybe we could meet up like you suggested.”

He suddenly became very aware of his heartbeat. What she said was exactly what he wanted to hear. He mentally checked his calendar. This week was kind of busy, but he was willing to make time to see her. 

“Sure. How about dinner and ice cream? My treat.”

“Ice cream!” she enthused. “I love ice cream. When?”

“How is Friday night? I've got a busy schedule for the rest of the week.” 

“Friday would be perfect. Where should I meet you?”

He'd hoped to pick her up, but he wanted her to be comfortable, so he let her make that decision. He'd thought about where he wanted to take her. Since she was hesitant, he didn't want to make it too much like an "official" date. He wanted someplace that was informal to avoid any pressure, and someplace familiar so he would be comfortable too. 

“How about Dream Gelato? Near the park? They have salads and sandwiches as well as gelato.” It was one of his favorite dessert places, although he didn't indulge too often. "Do you know it?" 

“Yeah. That sounds good,” Rey answered, sounding a little relieved. “Seven o'clock?”

"Uh, how about seven-thirty?" 

“Okay then. I guess I'll see you there.”

“I look forward to it. Can I text you?”

Rey's voice squeaked a little with her answer. "Of course. See you on Friday." 

Ben felt a rush of excitement as he hung up, but tried to compose himself. He'd have to skip his evening work out, but it would be totally worth it. He commended himself on how well he'd handled the call, having already picked out a couple of possible places. He'd even given her a later meeting time to ensure he would be on time. Seven-thirty gave him extra time to get there in case there was traffic. 

He spent a good part of the rest of the week trying not to get distracted by thoughts of her and resisting the urge to text or call just to talk. He was well aware he didn't know Rey, but he'd experienced such a connection with her when they'd met that he felt like they were already friends. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way about a woman before, even when his hormones had been such a mess in high school, or when he'd been so lonely in college. 

On Friday, he dressed casually as another tactic to avoid putting any pressure on their date, and wore just some jeans, a black t-shirt and tennis shoes. His car was clean inside and out, and so was his apartment, if he got lucky enough to bring her home. He knew it was much too soon to take her home, especially a girl like Rey who could probably have anyone she wanted, but he couldn’t help hoping.

Ben arrived at Dream Gelato twenty minutes early and got a table easily. He poured himself some water from the little side table, grabbed a couple of small paper menus from the counter, and took a seat to wait for Rey. His mind wanted to over-analyze what might happen when she arrived, go over what had happened at the party, and what words she had said on the phone, which was never a smart thing to do. So instead he grounded himself with deep breathing then played a game on his phone to distract himself. 

Ben wanted to just watch the door constantly to look for Rey, but that would look too desperate. He managed to keep it down to once every 30 seconds or so, which was better than he expected. He realized he hadn't really dated since he'd become a professional psychic, so it had been awhile. He would have thought his success would have attracted women, but maybe the professional pains he took to distance himself from his female clients would account for some of it. 

He immediately wanted to be with Rey as soon as he’d seen her, and had forced himself to rein it in at the party. He told himself that he'd only done one session with her professionally. If he never did another reading for her, then it wouldn't be taking advantage of his position as an advisor. He hoped he wasn't just fooling himself with that attitude. 

If he were truthful with himself, and he tried to be, he would admit that dating had gotten to be too much of a hassle most of the time. Meeting women who weren't clients was hard. It was difficult to relax and be himself around women he found attractive. He wasn't very comfortable around people at all unless he was in his professional psychic persona. Why was Rey different?

He was relieved to glance up and finally see Rey as she came in the door, looking just as gorgeous as he remembered, tall and slim, with shiny brown hair and beautiful doe eyes. Her hair was a little windswept, and Ben felt the cool fresh air on his face as she entered. 

She had her purse over one shoulder and a book in her hand, which was a good omen, since Ben loved to read. She just seemed to be perfect for him.

He stood as soon as he spotted her and her big smile of recognition made him smile in return.

She didn’t put out her hand to shake when she got to the table, which was disappointing, so he just handed her the paper menu.

“Hi. It's great to see you. You look good.”

“You too,” she said. Was she blushing just a little?

“I hope the food here is good. I've only ever had the gelato before, but it's always been delicious.”

“Let's see,” Rey said as she looked over the menu. “They have a good selection. I know exactly what I want.”

“Me too. I’ve been hoping to try it for awhile, but I just haven’t gotten the chance before.”

Ben felt daring for touching the small of her back lightly when he followed her to the counter. She had seemed open to being touched at the party, and he hoped he wasn't overstepping now. 

They both ordered their sandwiches and sodas then sat down to wait for their food. 

“How was Rose’s wedding?” Ben asked, leading off with something they had in common. 

Rey's beautiful hazel eyes lit up and Ben thought he could look at them every day for the rest of his life and never tire of them. They were a rich light brown with hints of gold and green, and their elegant shape reminded him of some kind of cat.

“It was really good,” Rey answered, her lips curving up in a joyous smile. “Rose and Paige both cried, but Finn didn't, so that was a plus.”

He grinned at her humor.

“Rose was beautiful in her dress, and she and Finn were both very happy. What else can I say? No one got drunk and made a scene, so I guess it went off very well.”

Ben loved hearing her laugh. “Good to hear.” 

“How have you been?” Her long slim fingers toyed with the straw in her soda glass. 

“Busy, but good.” 

“That’s good.”

They eyed each other awkwardly for a minute.

Ben took a breath and tried to remember how to hold a conversation. 

“What do you do for a living, Rey?”

She seemed to relax a little. 

"I’m a software developer at Athena Applications. It was founded by a woman, which is pretty cool.”

“I’m impressed. What do you do there?”

“Coding, Q/A, document best practices,” Rey recited as she tilted her head. “It doesn't pay as much as you’d think, but hopefully we'll do an IPO soon and I'll start making more money then. I was just glad to get my foot in the door, to be honest, with as much as I owe in student loans." She rolled her eyes. 

“I know the feeling.”

Ben enjoyed hearing her talk about something she was authentically passionate about, which was very attractive to him. 

“How do you like it?”

She sighed. “Well, I'd rather code full time, but that's not what the company needs right now.”

One of the wait staff brought their orders and plucked their little numbered sign off the table. 

“Oh, this looks awesome!” Rey exclaimed as she eyed her plate. 

“What did you get?”

“The Dijon Havarti.” She picked up the paper menu to read the description to him. “Havarti cheese with locally-sourced sweet pear seared with desert-blossom honey combined with Dijon mustard on rustic white bread.”

“Sounds fancy!”

“It is fancy,” Rey agreed right before she bit into it. “How about you?”

He picked the menu up from where she’d set it on the table. 

“I think grilled cheese sandwiches are their speciality. I got the Apple Bacon- grilled cheese, with honey crisp apples, locally sourced - of course - Applewood smoked bacon, and apple smoked Gouda on ‘wholesome’ whole wheat bread.” 

They laughed a little at the hip foodie descriptions. 

“I think these chips are home made too!” Rey exclaimed as she picked one up and bit into it. “Oh, they’re good.”

Ben ate one of his in solidarity. “I think you’re right. They are good. I wished I’d tried this before.” 

He was surprised at just how good the food was. The flavors seemed to almost explode in his mouth, with the saltiness of the bacon setting off the creamy caramel taste of the Gouda and the crispy sweetness of the apples perfectly. The bread was lightly toasted and buttery, and it put the cheese sandwiches he made at home to shame. Or maybe it just tasted better because he was enjoying the company. 

After a few more bites, Rey seemed to work her nerve up to talk about something. “So...” Her voice sounded a little higher than usual, and she cleared her throat. “Can I ask you some questions about the reading?”

Things had been going well, but Ben had known she would want to discuss his fortune telling abilities and he felt his palms get sweaty. Someone who placed as much importance on telling the truth as Rey did would want to verify that he hadn’t been deceiving everyone at the party. He hoped this wouldn’t be a deal breaker for her, but he knew he had to tell her if he wanted a relationship with her.

“Go ahead,” he said, taking a sip of his drink to relieve his suddenly dry mouth.

“You can't really be a psychic,” she said after a pause. 

He took a quick breath. “That's not a question.”

She rolled her eyes at him playfully, and he thought she looked adorable. “I know psychics aren’t real. So what are you really doing?” 

"It's not a simple answer," he started. "If we’re going to see each other, though, I need to be straight with you. I’m not going to lie to you or try to make myself seem better than I am. But I'd rather you didn’t tell other people what I’m about to say, even your friends." 

Now her face grew more serious. “Okay. I can do that. I thought you were going to tell me something proving that psychic powers are real.”

He shook his head unconsciously. “I can't do that. How real psychic abilities are is something you have to decide for yourself. I can only describe what I do, tell you what I think it is, and how I feel about it.”

“Good enough,” Rey agreed. 

Ben breathed in and recommitted to telling her the absolute truth. “I've always had good intuition about people, but I'm not good with people. I don't know how to talk to them very well, but I have usually been able to figure out what's going on with them, and that helps with my readings.”

“But that's like intuition, not psychic ability.”

“No, it's not. But having good instincts about people and reading body language can supplement natural psychic ability. Some people use it in place of actual talent, but I’m not one of them.”

“Well, you were right about me,” Rey interrupted. “I didn't want to admit it, but it's true.” 

Ben understood. She wanted to talk about her emotional reaction before discussing the truthfulness of his methods.

“I hope it helped you.”

She was staring down at her food instead of him. Kylo guessed she felt chagrined at having her secrets exposed. He wanted her to look him in the eye again, so he tried to make her feel more comfortable.

“Don't be embarrassed. Everyone has problems. You're willing to own up to yours and move on. I have my own,” he confided.

“It’s embarrassing to have someone you don’t even know tell you private things about yourself.”

“I understand. It sounds like it made you uncomfortable.”

She changed the subject quickly. 

“You weren’t able to tell me about my parents just from reading my body language.”

“No. It’s not only body language either. I felt a connection with you right away. When we shook hands. It's easier like that, but it doesn't happen very often. Did you feel it too?”

Rey nodded, blushing for sure now.

“How often does that happen?”

Her voice was softer now, weakened by her uneasiness.

“Maybe once every couple of years? It didn't happen with anyone else at the party. You’re the only one it’s happened with in a long time.”

She turned her face up to him and looked mildly pleased, and he hoped it was a sign that she felt attracted to him too. 

“I have a background in psychology as well,” he continued. “That probably helps. And I'm good at doing cold readings of people, looking at what they wear, their slang and how they act in addition to their body language. Then I get more clues about them from the questions they ask and the way they ask them.”

“I would think a lot of people would be able to do that.”

“They are. And that goes for a lot of the people who call themselves psychics or fortune-tellers. Some may have some psychic talent too, but a lot of them are talented at evaluating people. And they know what people want to hear.”

“Give me an example,” Rey asked. “Tell me something you read on Rose.”

“I could tell she was nervous about the wedding. She was jittery and she crossed and uncrossed her legs a lot. She spoke too quickly and laughed too long. It was only natural, though, that a bride like Rose would be anxious about her future, especially marrying somebody of a different race.”

“Did Paige tell you about his race?”

“Good guess,” he said, grinning, “but no. That part wasn't intuition either. That was cheating.”

Rey’s face fell when she heard that, and he felt his heart clench up in his chest. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, a little alarmed.

“I’m mostly kidding.”

Ben felt like running away, but he re-assured himself that telling the truth was the best policy with people he wanted to be close to before he went on.

“I did a little research beforehand,” he confided. “Once I had Paige’s email, it was easy to look her up on Facebook.”

He paused, waiting for the reaction he knew would be coming. He’d just admitted one of his dirty little secrets and he was afraid it might forestall any future he could have with Rey, since she despised dishonesty. It was better to tell her about fudging the truth now though than for her to find out later on.

Rey widened her eyes and her mouth fell open. “Oh. I didn't even think of that.”

He coughed nervously. 

“I hope that doesn’t count as lying.”

Rey shut her mouth and covered it with her hand. 

“Well, no, not really. I mean, I looked you up on Facebook. Why wouldn’t you look up your clients? You’re not telling them you got your information from the Great Beyond, right?”

“Right. I just let them think that.”

“That’s different from lying outright, though,” Rey differentiated. “That’s just sort of misleading, which doesn’t bother me as much.”

He let out a huge breath of relief. 

“Paige had told me the party was for her sister. She only has one sister and it was easy to link from Paige's profile to Rose's. Both of them have their pages set to public. Rose posted all about her wedding plans. That's where I got Finn's name and saw his picture. He's on Facebook, too, but his profile is private.”

Rey kept eating so it was hard to gauge her reaction. “I see.”

“It's not complete deception though. I could see that Rose was anxious from the things she said in person and what she posted on Facebook and from her body language. She fidgeted a lot, and I told you about how she laughed too much. So I knew she needed to calm down and relax before doing the reading. That's why I had her do the deep breathing.”

“Yeah. That's why I did that myself when I was feeling nervous.”

“I noticed that. Are you sure you're not psychic?” He tilted his head and smirked to show her he was teasing.

She chuckled. “Pretty sure.” 

Ben felt a little better every time she laughed. The pitch of it was low and beautiful.

“The way Rose talked about psychics and her enthusiasm for getting the reading let me know that she was open to hearing things worded a certain way. It's easier for her to accept someone else’s insights like that. Just like I used spiritual and psychological terms with you. You were comfortable with them.”

“Isn’t phrasing it differently kind of fake though?”

Ben tensed, thinking that this could be tricky. 

“No, I wouldn't say so. Some of what I do and how I do it is like life coaching, which I also studied. I told Rose the truth, that surviving her trauma had made her stronger and that she'll be capable enough to handle any crisis that comes up. Her confidence will help her be able to handle it. That's true for a lot of things, don't you think?”

Rey “So maybe Rose wasn't so much wondering about whether she should have kids as she was worried if she'd be a good mom,” she said experimentally.

“Right,” he confirmed. “If I had genuinely read her as a narcissist or someone abusive, I would have recommended against it. But I think she will be a good mom.”

“So do I. How did you know she'd been through trauma? Did you read that on Facebook too? Or has everyone been through trauma of one kind or another?”

“No, I just felt that. I wasn't lying when I read her palm, but that's just a technique. It gives me clues, but not the whole picture. I don't know how I got that information, but I did. A lot of people call that clairvoyance or psychic ability or telepathy. Once Rose and I got in tune, so to speak, a lot of things about her just came to me and I believe they’re true.” 

Rey stayed silent, pursing her lips and mulling over what he'd said while she ate more chips. 

Ben changed tactics a little. 

“You know Rose a lot better than I do. What do you think about the advice I gave her?”

Rey seemed to be struggling with something a little bit. “It was good, but how does psychic ability work? What does it feel like?”

“I don't know. I've looked at the scientific research, but I don't think it's definitive. I don't worry about how I do it anymore. I just focus on doing it as well as I can." 

Rey smiled enigmatically. “I'm not on Facebook though. How did you know things about me?”

“Well, first of all, I felt a real connection with you, and it wasn’t just for a reading. I still feel it now.”

She was nodding her head, but the expression on her pretty face was tight and mistrustful. He wasn't sure if she believed him. Maybe she hadn’t felt the same tingle he had.

“How did you know about my parents? Did you see that when you read my palm?”

“No,” he explained, clarifying. “That was less the palm reading and more like empathy or telepathy. You already knew the truth about your parents. You just needed someone to bring it to the surface gently. Your memories of them are real. Your feelings of love for them and their love for you are real. And I think you knew, even as a little kid, that they were having problems keeping it together. They gave you up out of love and a desire for you to have a better life than you would have with them. That last part is probably clairvoyance, which is knowing about something I have no logical way of knowing.”

Rey wiped her eyes with one hand and reached over to take Ben's hand with the other. He felt the connection between them flutter as the signal grew stronger at her touch. She seemed to need comforting, and he wanted to give that to her if he could. Her fingers were soft and warm in his.

“It's just really hard. With your parents. You know?” she asked, her voice breaking a little.

“Yes, I do.”

She looked up at that, squeezing his hand gently. “Did you have problems with your parents?

He sighed. "I still do. My mom was the Prom Queen and my dad was the coolest guy in school. I was awkward and nerdy and unpopular. I still am in some ways. It's hard for them to relate.”

“I can see how you would feel that way. So, were you just reading my mind then?”

“No. It's hard to explain. Part of it came from your mind, I think, but some of it… Like with Rose, I just seem to know things. I don't see images or anything. It just appears in my head like a fact. One minute I don't know something, then the next moment I do. So what I told you was like a combination of what you thought and what came to me. Fortunately, they matched and I didn't have to decide if your recollections were right or not. It would have been harder if they hadn't been similar." 

“You don't...lie for a living then?”

She’d already asked that and he’d answered, but he knew it could be hard to take in, especially if you already had a firmly established opinion. 

“I don't think so. I do the best I can. If I cheat in little ways, I use those facts to check against the knowledge that just comes to me.” 

“How did you know about Maz? Did you read it in my head?”

“That just came to me, but I got the name from you. I wasn't 100% right on it though, just like with your boss. It’s similar to fitting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how else to explain it. That's all I've got.”

She looked at him for a long time and he wasn't able to get any sense of what was going through her head or her emotions.

“How do you feel about what I told you now?” he asked her. “Does it change how you feel about the reading?”

She squeezed his hand again. 

“Can't you tell?”

He shook his head. “No. When it's something that involves me personally, my talents are next to useless. And I’m getting too personally involved with you now.”

She smiled in a way that made his heart thump. 

“That's good to know. I still think you were right about a lot of it. I'm just going to have to think about the rest of it for a while." 

“What does that mean?” he questioned her impatiently. “Can I see you again, or was that a deal-breaker?" 

“It means,” she said playfully, “that it's time for gelato.”

He wished she had just said yes or no, but her answer was better than a straight rejection. He moved their dishes to the side of the table to make room for their dessert and followed her to the counter. The line for gelato was longer than the one for food, but Ben held their place while Rey looked at the containers behind the glass. 

“Ooh! It's craft gelato!” she exclaimed humorously with a raised eyebrow as she eyed the pretty little signs stuck into each tub listing the flavors. Each flavor had artistically arranged ingredients on top of it too, like a trio of strawberries. 

Ben couldn’t tell if she was just being cute or if she was making fun of it. If so, it was probably in good fun, he decided, since they had laughed about the descriptions of their sandwiches together. 

Her mood seemed lighter now, and Ben decided to just go with it. There was nothing he could do about what he'd told her now. She either accepted it or she didn’t.

Rey asked to taste three separate flavors before deciding what kind of gelato she wanted. She wrinkled her nose at the bitter espresso one and then quickly drank some water after the chocolate and chili sample. Finally she chose burgundy and then maple bacon in a paper cup. Ben went with a couple of kinds he already knew he liked: whiskey cream and honey with sea salt. 

He insisted on paying again, saying the date had been his idea.

Rey sat back down before he did, and he noticed again how attractive she was. When he had been in high school, he would have thought she was out of his league. Now that he’d filled out a little and had some nice clothes, though, he looked better. And he could tell that Rey was more interested in his intelligence and personality than in his coolness factor. 

When she sat back down with him, their gelato was the easiest topic of conversation and probably the safest.

“I've been here before, but I've never tried the burgundy,” he commented as he picked up the ridiculously small plastic spoon stuck in his dessert. Using them always made him feel like a clumsy giant.

“Wanna try a taste?” Rey offered impishly.

He did want a taste, and not just of her gelato. She seemed to be flirting with him, so maybe he could ask her out again. 

Rey scooped up a generous helping of her burgundy gelato and held it out to him before evening taking a bite herself.

He hesitated a fraction of a second before he leaned forward and allowed her to put the spoon and the ice cream into his mouth. 

The gelato was cold and creamy on his tongue, the way it should be, but red wine seemed like an unusual choice. It wasn’t sweet, the way he usually liked, and the taste of the dark fruit that filled his mouth reminded him of autumn, earthy and mysterious. Cherry seemed to be the most prominent flavor, with a spicy licorice aftertaste. 

“Oh. That's different.”

Rey took a bite herself and giggled. “You don't like it?”

“I don't know. I'm not much of a burgundy guy, but this is actually really interesting. I may try this again sometime. You want some of mine?”

“Of course!”

He handed his dish to her. “Go ahead. These are a couple of my favorites. Take a big bite.”

Rey did, trying the flavors separately. “Interesting. I like them both. But you're not going to try my maple bacon?” 

“That one I've had before,” Ben said decisively. “Everyone likes bacon.”

Rey snickered at that one and he smirked in satisfaction that he had made her laugh. Maybe he did still have a chance with her. 

“Whiskey is a weird flavor for gelato, too,” Rey pointed out. 

“I guess.” 

He thought it over and took another bite. He thought it tasted like bourbon himself, with a smokey flavor instead of a peaty one. The cream smoothed it out and sweetened it a little.

Ben looked up to see Rey eating her gelato, and watched, fascinated as she alternated between putting the spoon into her mouth and licking the gelato off of it like a popsicle. Seeing that made him feel things. She wasn't above licking her fingers either. She had a smudge of burgundy on one side of her mouth. 

“You got some... right there,” he said, gesturing to her right side. 

“Get it for me?” she asked. 

He swallowed hard and reached over to rub it off, feeling their bond surging. Her lips were soft and her mouth was open. Was it his imagination, or had her tongue just peeked out to touch his thumb?

Suddenly he wasn't very interested in gelato anymore. Rey had finished hers already, so Ben slid his dish over to her. 

“I'm not going to finish this,” he said. “Why don't you take it?” 

She snagged it and pulled it in front of her.

His gelato had melted in the paper cup, and she picked it up and drank it, watching him the entire time. 

The shop had gotten more crowded since they'd come in. There was a line for the counter and every other table was taken. The noise had gotten progressively louder too and now it was starting to feel overwhelming to Ben.

“Do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere else?”

“Yeah, sure," Rey replied as she put her purse over her shoulder and gathered up their trash to throw away.

They stood up and Ben laced his fingers together with hers. She had taken his hand earlier, and now he felt okay taking hers. He wanted to touch her, to feel that little tiny burst of connection that came into being when their skin was in contact. 

The neighborhood was clean and popular, with enough street lights and lots of little shops to explore. One block over was the park Ben had referenced when giving her the location of the gelato shop. He headed there in hopes of quiet and privacy. 

The park was lit well along the paths, but there were cozy benches in recessed areas that were a little bit more removed from the light, and Ben pulled Rey down to sit on one of them. All of his senses seemed heightened. He could smell the night air and plants nearby and the possibility of rain. Rey's face was exquisite in the moonlight, the pupils of her eyes enormous and her skin seeming to glow. The breeze was perfumed by night-blooming flowers and felt full of potential.

Rey slid closer to him, putting her arm around his waist and laying her head on his chest, as she had when he’d comforted her at the party. It made his heart beat faster. He’d always had a hard time making the first move. He'd been rebuffed by his parents too many times as a child and by attractive girls as a teenager for such confidence to come easily now.

Now, however, he felt like she was giving him approval to wrap his arm around her and pull her even closer. Her scent was like something healing from nature, lavender maybe, and he felt a sensation of warmth growing in his chest as she welcomed him.

After a moment, she tilted her head up and when he leaned down to look at her, she kissed him. A small thrill of surprise and arousal pulsed through him as he kissed her back. Her lips were silky, and so was her tongue when she slipped it into his mouth. He slid his own around it then entered her mouth in return. He hadn’t experienced that kind of mutuality before and it both eased his fears and aroused him even more. He’d always been afraid to make the first move, because it created the possibility of being rejected. Her kiss promised him that he wouldn’t be. 

Being desired was intoxicating. Ben was able to be more present and in the moment with Rey than usual. The way his thoughts floated away helped him simply enjoy being with her as the link between them took up more of his attention. Everything else seemed to be fading, sliding away into the darkness around them. He found himself craving her the way he craved air and water.

Rey's supple fingers rose to stroke his neck and her luscious mouth followed, kissing and licking his skin until she reached the collar of his t-shirt. Her hands and lips felt electric. The delicious kisses and sucking became soft bites, sparking with intensity. Then she found the bottom of his shirt and her hand ducked beneath it to stroke his belly firmly, bringing him to a degree of hardness that was just edging into pain. 

Her hot little mouth was right next to his ear when she whispered into it, “Take me home, Ben. Please.”

He groaned softly at her request, feeling a sensation like a warm hand running its way up his back as his balls started to tingle. 

“Yours or mine?" he asked. He tried to figure out the logistics but was unable to when the lack of blood flow to his brain handicapped his efforts. 

“Mine,” she answered as his hands skimmed over the velvet skin of her throat. She whispered the address and told him she would drive then kissed him again. 

It took them a moment to draw apart, both of them breathing hard and his hair out of place where her hands had run through it. 

She led him by the hand to her car, electronically unlocking the door and sliding into the driver's seat. 

The level of Ben’s arousal diminished a little as she drove, which was actually good. He needed to get his brain to focus on things like walking and talking and other mundane activities. 

It was good that they were going to her place, and that she had been the one to make that decision. She would be more comfortable on her home turf, and probably felt safer. Plus he wanted to see where she lived, the books she read, the art she had on her wall, the music she listened to. He wanted to know everything. 

“My roommate's not home tonight,” she told him as they neared her apartment building, her voice slightly husky. “We’ll have the place to ourselves.”


	3. Rey's Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting to know Ben a little better, Rey is nervous and excited about going back to her place. 
> 
> Or, "The Smut."

REY

The ride home seemed to take longer than usual, but it wasn’t too bad, because it gave her time to steal glances at Ben when they were stopped at lights. His body seemed slightly too large for her little car, but he appeared to be perfectly at ease, looking out the window at the scenery flowing by. Rey was content to forgo conversation, and Ben seemed to be of the same mind as they listened to the radio. He had pushed the seat back a little to make more room for his long, long legs. He rested his chin in his enormous hand as he watched the buildings go past. 

Rey had been impressed with the graceful way he moved at the party, and now she saw that he was in even better shape than she had realized. His casual clothes revealed his body far better than his dress clothes had, and she admired his broad shoulders, well-muscled arms, and thick legs. 

He seemed very unassuming for someone so good looking, but that was one of the things she liked about him. The dim light in the car showed her his profile: a prominent nose, high cheekbones, a smattering of moles, dark eyes and full lips that she already knew were pillow-soft. She wanted to feel those lips all over her body. 

Rey realized that her inflated opinion of Ben probably meant she was already infatuated. Obviously she had thought he was handsome when they met, but now she was drooling all over him so much that it was ridiculous. It made sense when she remembered that her estimate of a man’s appearance usually improved in proportion to how much she liked him. 

She never would have believed she’d fall for a psychic, but the way he had explained his profession made perfect sense. He sounded more like the occasional therapist she’d seen as a foster kid than he did some mystic crystal ball gazer. He was one of the most intelligent people she’d met, as well as compassionate and sensitive. He was making a good living, but he was helping people when he could be taking advantage of them. 

On top of that, the way he looked at her made her weak in the knees and wet between her thighs: as if she were a deluxe buffet and he was a starving man. She knew he wanted her, but he wasn’t pressing, which gave her the space she needed to let him in. He allowed her to set the pace, to take the lead in making the first move, and that was more arousing than anything she could remember. 

He wasn’t submissive or weak either. The way he declined to pressure her seemed to be authentically confident and respectful rather than some technique he’d read about on a “pick up artist” website. 

She’d encountered guys like that before and she hated them. They would “neg” her with a cross between a compliment and an insult to encourage her to say yes to a date, then gradually escalate physical contact to get her into bed. When she called them on their handsy behavior, they protested that they hugged and touched all their friends the same way. It infuriated her.

He wasn’t trying to impress Rey with expensive dates and gifts either, even though he could probably afford them. Nor did he invite her over for a booty call or to drink and get high. Dream Gelato had charmed her utterly, and it had been a perfect choice for their first date. She had loved how he had been willing to try new food and had tasted the weird ice cream flavor she’d gotten without criticizing it. He’d also allowed her to feed him by hand in public instead of showing off by doing that to her.

Ben was more real and down to earth than most of the people she knew, even Finn. His vulnerability made her comfortable with her own, and she thought he was more accepting of her quirkiness and non-conformity than most of her former boyfriends. He could have kept the truth about his little fortune-telling tricks a secret, but he had shared them as soon as she’d asked. 

Rey knew he was ten years older than she was from his Facebook page. Some people would consider that too big of an age difference to overcome, but Rey had always liked older guys. She supposed it meant she had daddy issues, but given her background, she ought to have mommy issues too. She didn’t care. She dated who she liked. 

Rey had been surprised when she heard Ben mention the magnetic pull that came to life+ between the two of them whenever they touched. She had felt the same thing - a growing bond between them she could hardly believe. She hadn’t told him that she felt it too, wanting to see what he said about it first. As their date continued, her sense that they belonged together was only getting stronger. 

BEN

Rey's apartment building was pretty nice, especially for the city. It had a secure entrance, a respectable lobby and an open courtyard with some nice landscaping in the middle of her section. It didn’t have an elevator, but nothing was perfect. 

She reached for his hand to guide him across the grassy area, towing him behind her up the stairs and down the hall to her place. He started to get excited all over again looking at her heart-shaped ass as she climbed the steps in front of him with that faint smell of lavender trailing after her again. He wanted to bury his nose in her hair and get more of that scent. 

Ben followed her inside her apartment, which was clean enough and nicely furnished, but he only had eyes for her. She locked the door behind her and slipped off her shoes as she dropped her keys into a bowl by the door. He’d been hoping they could skip the usual routine of her showing him around, and the way she immediately led him to the couch showed him that they were on the same page. 

Rey’s lips looked ripe and ready to be kissed in the low light. Her chestnut hair was thick and glossy as it curled smoothly around her face and the nape of her neck. He caressed its softness gently before taking her face in his hands and brushing his lips against hers softly. The link between them made both of them shiver as the kiss deepened.

Ben hadn’t expected to go home with her this soon, and he realized somewhat belatedly that he didn’t even have protection. It had been so long since he'd been with someone that he didn't even buy it regularly anymore. He felt awkward saying anything because he didn’t want her to think he just assumed they’d have sex, but he thought it was better to bring it up sooner rather than later. 

“Wait a minute, Rey, we need to talk,” he said as he pulled back. “Before we go any further -”

She read the worried look on his face and the anxiety in his voice and hushed him softly.

“I'm on the pill and I’m clean. It’s been a while, and I want this, Ben.”

“Me too,” he murmured.

Resuming, he moved forward to smell her hair, unable to believe that things had progressed so quickly, but the attraction between them was impossible to deny right now. He felt unbelievably lucky to have found her.

He slid his hands down her smooth shoulders, bending to nuzzle and kiss her throat as the quiet fragrance of lavender surrounded him. He didn't remember making a conscious decision to unbutton her blouse, but he found himself doing so and then moving the two sides apart so he could run his hands up over her bra. She gasped at his touch, arching and throwing her head back.

The way that she wanted him - plainly and openly - made him want her more, her body, yes, but also her strength and courage, her honesty and good humor. She wasn't playing games or putting him off because he hadn't jumped through a bunch of hoops for her. She wanted him because of the way she felt about him.

Rey reached behind her to unhook her lacy bra and take it off. She allowed both sides of the blouse to slip off, then let the bra straps themselves fall down over her lightly freckled shoulders. Her breasts were beautiful, small and exquisite, like the rest of her. When she returned Ben's gaze, he saw a fleeting moment of insecurity in her eyes, and he wondered if anyone had ever made her feel less than beautiful. She should never have even a fleeting doubt about her own worthiness. 

Ben pulled his shirt off over his head, then dipped down to kiss one sweet nipple, sucking it gently at first, then increasing in intensity. He palmed one hand over the softness of her other breast, squeezing and massaging, captivated by the thrill of touching her. This close, he could smell the natural scent of her body and it made him almost giddy.

With her eyes on him, Rey reclined until she was lying flat then drew him down on top of her. He captured her mouth with his own, opening his lips to invite her tongue in, the electricity between them flickering like lightning in a bottle. All thought was gone from Ben's mind, and he was being drawn to Rey like the tides by the moon. 

Ben was becoming so aroused that he had to reach down to adjust himself. Rey's hand followed his, urging him to undo the button of his fly and pull down the zipper. Then her slender fingers were inside, gliding beneath his waistband and wrapping firmly around his cock. He groaned as she started moving her hand up and down the shaft. Quickly he pulled down both his jeans and his boxer briefs, letting them fall by the side of the couch. 

Ben interrupted Rey’s undressing, wanting to be the one to remove her panties, pulling them down her long smooth legs. His eyes locked with hers until she was completely bare and he could see her pussy, hair trimmed short with the labia plump and red. His hand went between her legs and when he felt the wetness there, he couldn't resist quickly slipping a finger into her tight heat. Her head tipped back and she moaned softly. 

The intimacy and trust of this moment took his breath away, the way she accepted part of his body into her own. When he saw the hungry way she looked at his body, he felt the sparks between them catch fire.

“Oh, fuck, Rey,” he gasped, his consciousness beginning to spin out of control. He wanted to be inside her now, was desperate to lose himself in her. 

Her hand continued to move on his cock until she finally tugged him down toward her sex impatiently, increasing his arousal by roughly a thousand percent. He pulled his fingers out, using her slick to lubricate himself. As wet as she was, he wanted her even wetter, so he slid the head of his cock over her opening up to her clit and circled it with the head before taking over with his fingers.

Rey's eyes were closed in bliss, and he called her name to get her to open them. Then he rested his forehead against hers so they were staring into each other's eyes as he thrust inside her for the first time. Being sheathed in the hot, tight velvet of her cunt was incredible and for a second he could feel her heartbeat in the softness surrounding him. He wrapped his body around hers, enveloping her small frame with his large one.

If they had felt a connection when she had taken his hand at the party, it is much stronger now, as if they are sharing the same flesh and bone, the same mind and heart. It’s hard to tell where his pleasure leaves off and hers begins, plunging into her cunt as she contracts around him, so tight and so strong, him filling her completely until their pelvic bones meet, connecting them at yet another point. She meets his thrusts and squeezes him when he hits bottom, making him almost reluctant to withdraw. Then his dick slides against her inner walls again and her stomach muscles tense as she lifts her hips and returns the energy back to him. 

Time becomes an endless spiral of joining and pulling away, over and over again, moving increasingly inward to an inevitable explosion. 

When Rey is close, she takes him by the wrist to bring his hand up to her throat. He does not squeeze, just wraps his fingers around it and she comes immediately, gasping and whimpering. She shuts her eyes, then opens them again to stare into his as her pussy clutches and ripples on his dick. 

Rey's orgasm pushes him toward his own as her hands move through his hair, sighing and moaning, her sloe eyes meeting his so intensely that it is as if there is nothing else in the world. Her back arches, pressing her breasts against his chest, the tiny hard points of her nipples nudging against his skin and driving him out of his mind. 

Just as his balls tighten, he puts his mouth close to her ear and whispers, “Rey- I'm going to -.” 

His come feels like liquid metal as it travels down his cock and surges into her. Euphoria floods his body. It is like coming home, collapsing into a soft bed at the end of a hard day, deep ease and comfort after deprivation. 

Then Ben feels Rey come again, triggered by his climax, and he hears her cries of pleasure as every muscle in her body contracts. His cock throbs one last time in sympathy as he watches her fall apart, prolonging his rapture and wiping his mind white. 

Afterward, he opened his eyes again to look at the expression on her face, and he had never seen anything so lovely. 

He lowered himself to touch his forehead to hers, feeling the light sweat of her face and the softness of her skin with tendrils of damp hair curled around it.

Ben got a handful of tissue from the coffee table and gave it to her. Then he took more for himself, his cock still pulsing a little. 

He rolled over on his side, and she pulled her own body close to his, resting her hand on his shoulder. 

“I haven't come that way with anyone before,” she said softly as she caught her breath. 

“I don't think I have either.” 

“I think I feel that connection you were talking about. It happened when we shook hands that first time too, didn't it?”

“It did. Maybe you're clairvoyant too.”

“Maybe,” she replied, looking amused.

Her laugh sounded like a small waterfall and sent a tingle through his consciousness.

Ben had never undergone the adult experience of becoming a couple with someone, moving in together, blending groups of friends, discovering each other's favorite hobbies, figuring out how to fit jobs and homes and pets together, but he definitely wanted to try now. He felt like he never wanted to be out of this woman's sight. 

“What kind of future do you see ahead for us, Mr. Psychic?” she asked playfully, smiling in a way that lit up her whole face.

“A long, happy one,” he said confidently.

“I think you're right,” she told him as she looked into his eyes. “Maybe I am clairvoyant.”


End file.
